Space shots: Aggies forward again topples Tennessee

Updated 11:15 am, Monday, February 24, 2014

Texas A&M's Antwan Space shoots over Jarnell Stokes in the first half. Space hit the game-winner over Stokes in overtime.

Texas A&M's Antwan Space shoots over Jarnell Stokes in the first half. Space hit the game-winner over Stokes in overtime.

Photo: Stuart Villanueva / Bryan-College Station Eagle

Space shots: Aggies forward again topples Tennessee

1 / 1

Back to Gallery

COLLEGE STATION — Texas A&M forward Antwan Space owns the distinction of creating the loudest roar in Reed Arena this season, along with the most sudden hush in Tennessee's Thompson-Boling Arena in 2014.

Both courtesy of the rare occasion the 6-foot-8 sophomore heaved up a 3-pointer.

“That's his shot, and I don't love it all of the time,” A&M coach Billy Kennedy said, smiling. “But it's been good against Tennessee for a last shot.”

Indeed. Space's 3-pointer at the end of overtime lifted the Aggies to a wild 68-65 victory over the Volunteers before 6,432 fans on Saturday in Reed, breathing life into an A&M program (16-11, 7-7 SEC) clinging to postseason hopes.

“I would love to tell you we've arrived again, but we're just going to take it one day at a time,” a relieved Kennedy said. “We've got to build on this and continue to grow.”

Space, a DeSoto product who began his college career at Florida State, entered the contest having made 7 of 29 on 3-pointers this season. He entered the overtime with three points and hadn't scored in the extra period prior to receiving a pass to the right of the top of the key following an A&M timeout.

He smoothly dribbled twice to the right, and with Tennessee forward Jarnell Stokes on defense, pulled up for the shot about a foot behind the 3-point line.

“I felt that one,” Space said. “I knew that was going in.”

The result was a Reed eruption, as the Aggies have won four consecutive home games — the three prior by double digits — and two straight overall in making a late bid for postseason play. During the timeout, Kennedy had designed a play for Space to drive to the basket on Stokes — not launch a hoops Hail Mary — but the outcome pleased everyone in the building not sporting orange.

“I felt he didn't really want to take that shot,” Stokes said. “The entire game, he wasn't a threat at all. Anybody we wanted to take (the shot) would've been him, statistically speaking.”

Statistically speaking, Space is perfect in last-second 3-point tries versus the Volunteers (16-11, 7-7), who own the same record as A&M and are trying to make the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2011 (just like the Aggies).

“We've been saying we've been trying to get back-to-back wins,” Space said. “So this is huge. Now, we're going to try and get on a run.”

The Aggies, who've matched their SEC victory total of last season with four regular-season contests to go, will try and keep their late-season sprint in full swing at conference rival LSU on Wednesday. A&M's lone victory away from Reed this season occurred on Space's first game winner at Thompson-Boling, although the Aggies own two overtime road losses at Mississippi State and Vanderbilt.

“Our guys continue to fight and continue to compete,” Kennedy said. “That's what I'm most proud of this time of the year.”